Gite and Chambre d'hote Owners chat

Thanks for that Yvonne, I'll persevere and look into it again!

Great news that everyone has bookings. 2012 is our best year ever! Jan are you tracking your bookings so you'll know for certain how well you're doing compared to last year?

Lavinia - we use Paypal and it's very good. It's a bit of a faff to set up but worth doing. It acts as a "payment gateway" and people can pay using their debit/credit cards via your online booking system, AND you can request money from their by just using their email.

Hope this helps you :-)

We've already had guests in our B&B, have more booked for March (English) and then have a good selection of French and English booked for later in the year. Our later bookings are the kind we love - couples/friends staying together for several days and eating every night. I could be wrong, but I think we might have the most bookings we've ever had for this time of year, so hope that's an indication of a good year to follow.

To the east of Pau, near Tarbes, just got 2 weeks booked in August for the gite, along with one in June and one in July - for the Tour de France. All english, haven't broached the French market yet as this is our first year. We are operating the same booking conditions as Neil, I was thinking of using Paypal too but it seems a bit complicated - you have to open a business account I think.

Just north of Pau and the Pyrenees we have our first bookings of the year for August. Fully booked for B/B for the Tour de France and a couple of weekends in May for weddings at our nearby chateau. All are French or Spanish with only one week for an English family last year. In the process of expanding the French part of our site to attract more clients. Holding our prices this year and we ask for 25% non-returnable deposit at time of booking with full payment 8 weeks before the start of the booking. Payment is by bank transfer or a cheque and do not take credit cards anymore but we are considering using Paypal.

crikey Yvonne - how to you get away with that - James must be snowed in too!

i'm new to this but i'm absolutely, utterly CLOSED... it's lovely to be nice and quiet and spend a little time hibernating - even though we have been snowed in for 12 days until yesyerday - we're getting bookings though - April is looking good!

... i suggest a round up of the best / cheapest websites to advertise on...

Not a very active website just now.

What is happening to the B and B people and the gite owners....ANY NEWS?

I take a deposit from clients.

For the first time since I started doing so I have had all 4 rooms cancelled by the Lads who booked ....THEY are attending a wedding near by IN MAY. I am sure we all know what deposit means....DOES IT MEAN I promise to keep it for them AND they have no obligation to me?

I have encured card charges via the bank and the machine co.

This will be to receive and to return funds.

Not sure what this costs....but will have to find out. One of the chaps gave me 3 CARDS which had no credit and spent the entire evening trying to reserve his room.

I am better off without their booking I think....

Cross though.

Sorry , not refusing to take animals!

I don't want pets in the house as I am asthmatic. I also don't want the stress of being prosecuted, although it does seem as though there are not many people taking this seriously, as I have seen many gites still refusing to take animals.

I would agree with Maria, regarding the website :-)

@ Maria,

There will be a pdf file for people to download and a circular tour, but we are hoping to be able to generate sufficient business that way. We have contacts in UK, USA, Australia, Germany, Paris and Lyon.

@Jane, that's interesting, personally if I come across a property when looking for holiday accommodation and it doesn't have a website I don't bother with it. There is a lot of competition out there!

@ Yvonne,We are in the south of Burgundy between Cluny and Charolles. We really do not want a website, we have lots of contacts who will pass us on by-e-mail to their friends and contacts.

I have taken a course run by the English Tourist Board and my mum used to run a guest house, so I know how not to do it!

We are only having a gite, our Little House.

I am trying to make a time-table of things to do and fit it in with Jim's finsihing off the DIY in the Little House.

Hi Yvonne (& Jane). Your b&b coaching business sounds exciting. You're probably aware of this site, but it offers great advice to holiday let owners & so may be of use to you. http://rentmoreweeks.com/

Jane, your best bet is to get yourself a small website, I recommend wordpress, and then put some text and lots of photos on it, of the bits that are ready. Then make friends with other B&Bs in your local area and tell them you're just starting and ask them to pass you business. Your lack of photos will be the stumbling block, so get creative here with your descriptions. Set the table and take some photos of the breakfast, and if you're planning to do dinners, take photos of that too. Where are you in France? Let me know how I can help you. I'm in the process of setting up Bed and Breakfast Coach.com to help B&B owners worldwide, and I'm launching it in January. Been in this business for 11 years, and learned a lot, especially in the last 3 years, and last year quadrupled my revenue, over the previous year. I'm here for you :-)

We are not up and running, so O am wondering how long it will take from the initial inquiry until they turn up.

We will have to buy beds and sofas and I am looking to the Sales, even though we do not have the room really ready at the moment as my husband has to put down the parquet floors, he is building the kitchen at the moment!.

They came to inspect my B&B and graded me on the spot. About a week later I was on their database, and they sent me their signs and forms to use at the same time. It was very quick and painless, and set me back €300 which I paid overt 3 months. I only registered with them for the benefits, ie: trust but get next to nobody coming from this channel. I'm only carrying on with them so I can get a subvention for some refurbishing I want to do. Hope that helps you :-)

@ Wendy

How long did it take to have the actual inspection after you had booked it, and also how long before you knew the result? How long to register with Gites de France?